Stance 2.0 clock position ?

[denja]

When standing in the (I think its called the 2.o clock position right handed) what position should the cue be over the braced right foot as the foot is at a slight angle should the cue run in a straight line over centre of foot where the shoe laces would be or closer to the toe or closer to the leg hope I have made myself clear ! but I am sure you will know what I mean. THANKS !

[DeanH]

as long as the cuehand is over the right foot, that is good, the foot itself can be slightly angled, for comfort and stability purposes; the cue itself doesnot necessarily run in the direction of the foot.
If you happen to have a "straight" foot then maybe the cue would follow its direction, but from your description you have an angled right foot (slightly outward I assume) then most probabaly the cue would not follow the foot's direction but would run across the foot to the left (at the front).
Comfort and stability it paramount as to how your feet and legs are placed and angled.

[Terry Davidson]

denja:

It doesn't really matter what part of the right foot the cue runs over (I recommend the laces) as long as you do it the same every time and as long as everything else (head/shoulder/elbow are in line and the grip hand is directly over the right foot at address.

Terry

[denja]

Thanks for you input my left points to 12 oclock line of shot and my right is at 2 oclock

[denja]

Thanks for your speedy reply left foot 12 oclock right foot 2 oclock cue over shoelaces everything straight makes sense THANKS !

[armstm]

Thanks for your speedy reply left foot 12 oclock right foot 2 oclock cue over shoelaces everything straight makes sense THANKS !

hi - doesn't it depend on where you are on the table?

e.g. i point my right foot on the line of the shot when potting the black off its spot when cue is high on the green side.

however my body seemed to get in the way if i try to do this on the yellow side, especially if i am near the cushion.

therefore my right foot is more like at 2 o'clock for this shot, and the left leg is a bit further forward.

(after missing loads of blacks from the yellow side, i experimented with which stance was the most stable and didn't interfere with the cue going thru)....

[Terry Davidson]

armstm:

OK, that's a new one on me...i.e. - changing the stance depending on which side of the table you are on. The problem I see is it's one more thing to think about plus I believe there must be something slightly faulty with your set-up to get an observation like that.

In answer to your question, no it doesn't depend where you are on the table with the exception of the cushion coming into play or else the balls being close together. For the sake of consistency a player should have the same set-up, including stance when possible, for every shot.

You sound like you are likely not shifting the hips out of the way when you get into the address position or else getting the grip arm shoulder down too low on the shot (it should be up behind the head).

Terry

[Terry Davidson]

denja:

It's not a good idea to have either foot pointed to 12 o'clock when in the address position as this will put stress on the knee joint of that leg and for most people is a little uncomfortable. You might be young enough to get away with it now but if you play a lot of snooker then a little later in life your knee joint will let you know you've been abusing it.

The feet should point outwards from the line of the shot for comfort and stability. Each player will have his own different amount of turn and this is easily found by getting down into the address position, closing the eyes and then shifting the feet outwards and inwards one at a time until you pick the spot that's most comfortable. Then open the eyes and take a look and try and get that most comfortable position into your stance all the time.

Terry

[1blonde]

my better half said he reccomends did the 12'oclock bar stance, I said: "What do you mean?" and he said that is what time the bar opens at the snooker club.

Well it made me laugh.
For everything else there is also Terry Davidson.

I notice a few players Walden, Ebdon, King bend both legs on their stance wondered why they do this?

I think it is a comfort/stability thing but I may be wrong and perhaps that type of stance might aid particularly tall players. Many players have back related problems later in life Chris Small etc etc and this is a result of the constant strain they put on joints.

I actually think that Terry's advice is (well) worth noting here because getting it wrong now it can cause problems later, twisting on your hip and getting your back flat is/was one of the most accepted ways but many players have had back/joint related problems later in life because they get it wrong/have been taught wrongly/or not taught at all and are many strain to put themselves in a uncomfortable position/or they dont bend down to the shot correctly - so best to get good advice before you start off down that road me thinks.

[armstm]

armstm:

OK, that's a new one on me...i.e. - changing the stance depending on which side of the table you are on. The problem I see is it's one more thing to think about plus I believe there must be something slightly faulty with your set-up to get an observation like that.

In answer to your question, no it doesn't depend where you are on the table with the exception of the cushion coming into play or else the balls being close together. For the sake of consistency a player should have the same set-up, including stance when possible, for every shot.

You sound like you are likely not shifting the hips out of the way when you get into the address position or else getting the grip arm shoulder down too low on the shot (it should be up behind the head).

Terry

hi terry - many thanks - i'll video myself and try to work on those points you mentioned.

the reason i did this is that nic barrow states that the student should try to find the stance in which he is the most stable and comfortable without even looking at cueball.

i think personally people's stance do change around the table although i could be wrong (my highest break remains stubbornly under 50 so i happy to admit i am clueless), e.g. ronnie's left foot is not in front of his right foot in potting the black from the green side but it is on the yellow side. i have also seen players that normally do a 1-2 movement, just get down on the shot (e.g. potting to the middle from the top cushion).

i'll think about those points you suggested...

[armstm]

it turns out you were right terry i was not stretching my right hip. also i videoed my stance again and my left foot was inline with my right foot instead of being in front. also i think my weight was mainly on my back leg whereas i think the weight should be taken more by the left leg. with the left knee bending with the weight.

so many thanks for the tips... hopefully will see an improvement in the game.

[limecc]

denja:

It doesn't really matter what part of the right foot the cue runs over (I recommend the laces) as long as you do it the same every time and as long as everything else (head/shoulder/elbow are in line and the grip hand is directly over the right foot at address.

Terry

This is also Del Hill's (excuse the pun) 'stance' on the subject!

Personally I point my foot in the direction of aim every time as it came more naturally and was easier to be consistent as there's no need to be concerned if the angle of the foot is the same every time.

[denja]

it turns out you were right terry i was not stretching my right hip. also i videoed my stance again and my left foot was inline with my right foot instead of being in front. also i think my weight was mainly on my back leg whereas i think the weight should be taken more by the left leg. with the left knee bending with the weight.

so many thanks for the tips... hopefully will see an improvement in the game.

As long as the heel remains on line of shot (Right Foot) I would not think the angle would matter, I line up by placing my cue in line of shot with cue close to my thigh and runnng along just inside the outer edge of my right foot so everything elbow, cue hand, bridge, foot, is in a straight line, I then brace my right leg and slightly bend my left I am right eye dominant and right handed.

[denja]

it turns out you were right terry i was not stretching my right hip. also i videoed my stance again and my left foot was inline with my right foot instead of being in front. also i think my weight was mainly on my back leg whereas i think the weight should be taken more by the left leg. with the left knee bending with the weight.

so many thanks for the tips... hopefully will see an improvement in the game.

As long as the heel remains on line of shot (Right Foot) I would not think the angle would matter, I line up by placing my cue in line of shot with cue close to my thigh and runnng along just inside the outer edge of my right foot so everything elbow, cue hand, bridge, foot, is in a straight line, I then brace my right leg and slightly bend my left I am right eye dominant and right handed.

[Terry Davidson]

The only thing I would say on this is if you line either foot along the line of aim rather than pointing them outwards a bit then you are placing a strain on your knee joint which will come out later in life and might cause problems.

Remember, the first rule of the snooker set-up is COMFORT. Whether the foot is pointed out at the same angle every shot is of no consequence as long as the part of the foot under the grip hand remains the same for a standard shot. Everything changes if we stretch a bit anyway and then the main target is to keep the head and shoulder still.

Terry